The unique design features of the NS Shoulder Rest enable a customized fit for every player. There are three basic adjustments, each of which contributes to achieving desired comfort and support. Determining the optimal combination for your individual body shape and playing style will entail some back-and-forth experimentation with each of these:
- The flexible aluminum base, which can be bent and shaped by hand, can be molded to comfortably match the contours of where it contacts your shoulder and upper chest. The more contact between the shoulder rest and your body, the better.
- The distance between the instrument and shoulder rest can be adjusted by changing the depth that the support rod is inserted into the instrument – further out if you have a longer neck, and vice versa.
- The shoulder rest base can be moved closer towards, or a bit further from, your body by adjusting its location along the lower portion of the support rod.
When inserting the long portion of the support rod into the body, you may need to loosen the clamp assembly a bit, using the knob located on the small clamp member (by the chinrest bar). After inserting the support rod to the desired depth, tighten this knob firmly.
If your shoulder rest assembly slips during use when the knobs are tight, one or both clamps may need adjustment, as follows:
- Check whether the two members of the clamp touch each other at one end or the other when the knob is fully tightened.
- If they do, loosen the clamp a bit and the adjust the set screw (see the arrow in the Clamp Detail image above) so that, when the knob is tightened again, the two halves of the clamp are parallel (as shown in the Clamp Detail image).
- Once that has been checked or adjusted, if some additional friction is needed, a light coating of powdered rosin can also be applied to the support rod where it contacts the clamp.
To store the instrument in its case, loosen both knobs and slide the entire shoulder rest assembly out of the instrument. Fold the connecting arm flat against the shoulder rest. The instrument and rest are now ready to be placed in the case. Remove the shoulder rest and support rod from the instrument before placing it in the case.